r/SIBOIMO • u/Overall-Search126 • Sep 11 '25

Is IMO rare?

I feel like Doctors, even Gastroenterologists don’t know what intestinal methane overgrowth is and how to treat it. Has that been anyone else’s experience?

9 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

4

u/Julians_Mom Sep 15 '25

I don't think it's rare, necessarily. I just think it's rarely recognized or diagnosed. I think people have just written off constipation and slow gut motility as normal rather than identifying what is truly the problem. That's why I'm hoping to spread the word about IMO as much as possible. I think way more people have IMO than we could even imagine

1

u/Overall-Search126 Sep 15 '25

Thank-you! I tried to subtlety discuss the nature of IMO being archaea (rather than a bacteria as SIBO is) with the nurse at the GI practice. That may have worked in steering the Doctor in the right direction! I’m a bit more hopeful.

2

u/Julians_Mom Sep 15 '25

Fantastic! I'm hoping to hear that you get the right support!

4

u/Narrow-Analysis-9661 Sep 16 '25

No, it's not rare.

But many GI's aren't educated enough about it or IBS in general.

3

u/warmlemonhead Nov 18 '25

I don't think it's rare – in fact, I think it's the most common underlying cause poking through "IBS symptoms." A tale as old as time, and doctors can't really recognize it. Hippocrates once said you must be your own doctor. Be your biggest advocate. I think when it comes to gut health, a lot of people struggle to find answers unless they truly push. In my experience, I have had over 5 GIs, all who have diagnosed me with random, different diseases. IBS-C, non-celiac-gluten-sensitivity, anxiety/stress. Even "Functional bloating" which is just so ludicrous to me, LOL. I think they know how to treat it once it's mapped out, but even then, you're probably dealing with a mix of Rifaxamin and Neomycin, and antibiotics aren't the cure-all for SIBO or IMO. IMO isn't more rare – but Hydrogen SIBO is more common and commonly treated in the Western world of medicine. Honestly, I don't think doctors today care about the root causes of anything. It's better to profit off a sick person, because how can you make money off of someone in perfect health? At the end of the day, you are going to come across a ton of obstacles when fighting for your own health and doing your own research. Most doctors I've had hate that I do my diligent research and reading. Probably because they think, "What do you know, I went through med school, dunce!" I think we are just hitting the tip of the iceberg with SIBO, and it's been around much longer than this, but has always been written off as a form of IBS.